María J. Guarda

María enjoys working on fiction, humorous texts, and poetry, particularly those inspired by the lives and experiences of people she knows—especially female voices. She expands these personal stories to make them relatable to young readers.

Her work is inspired by young children, and she loves observing them at play to discover how they relate to people, creatures, and objects. María is particularly interested in capturing their unique perspectives and telling stories from their point of view.

She enjoys experimenting with different media and techniques, choosing the best approach depending on the story. Currently, María is writing and illustrating a new book with Candlewick Press.

In 2018, María won the first prize at the Macmillan Prize for Illustration for her project Paloma Flew, awarded by Pan Macmillan UK. This book was published in Spanish in 2021 by Planeta and will be published in English in 2025 by Candlewick Press in the US, Canada, UK, Australia, and New Zealand. Paloma Flies Away was awarded the Chilean IBBY Medal in 2022 and was included in the IBBY Honour List in 2024.

María, along with two colleagues, created the immersive illustrated exhibition "We the Children Have Rights!", which is currently being presented at the Cultural Center La Moneda, the Government House in Chile. These illustrations were selected for exhibition at the 2025 Bologna Book Fair.

Based in Santiago, Chile, María lives with her husband and two children, balancing her time between freelance illustration work and teaching illustration.


Publications

Paloma Flies Away, Candlewick, 2025

  • Carnegie Medal for Illustration nominee